ODNR to host Women's Outdoor Adventures

Jun. 16, 2014

Written by

Dick Martin

CentralOhio.com

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is sponsoring a new event, the Ohio Women’s Outdoor Adventures.

It will blend boating and paddle sport skills with numerous outdoor education and athletic activities. The weekend will take place Aug. 22 through 24 at the newly remodeled Burr Oak State Park Lodge and Conference Center in Glouster, near Athens.

The event is open to all women, including girls age 12 or older who are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to improve their skills in kayaks and canoes, as well as archery, geocaching, fishing, outdoor photography, bird watching and more.

For more information, registration, and a schedule of events, see watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/owoa or contact Valerie Cox at 614-265-6652

• Applications are now being accepted for controlled deer and waterfowl hunts on selected public areas. Hunters have until July 31 to submit permit applications for a random drawing.

These special hunts are held on selected public areas to provide additional opportunities for Ohio hunters. All applicants, youth and adult, must possess a 2014-2015 Ohio hunting license and meet the age requirements in order to apply for a hunt.

Hunters can apply for the controlled hunts by completing the application process online using the Wild Ohio Customer Center at wildohio.gov or by calling 800-WILDLIFE and requesting a mail-in application.

There is a non-refundable fee of $3 per hunt. For information about hunt dates and locations, visit wildohio.gov.

• The National Wildlife Federation will host yet another Great American Backyard Campout on June 28 to encourage people of all ages to camp in their backyards, neighborhoods, parks and campgrounds as a simple way to reconnect with nature.

From wildlife watching tips and games to campfire songs and recipes, NWF will give people everywhere the resources they need to experience the wonders of wildlife right in their own backyard or neighborhoods with a simple, but memorable campout.

The Federation has everything you need to head out into the great outdoors. The campout website, www.backyardcampout.org, has packing lists, recipes, nocturnal wildlife guides, exploration activities, nature games, and more.

There’s enough information available to help parents find new ways to encourage their children outside.

• With an unusually wet spring, mosquitoes are sure to become a problem in days to come. To help alleviate that issue the Insect Shield Company recommends the following practices.

First and foremost eliminate all standing water that might act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Keep lids on trash cans to keep out of the rain. Cover up or fill in low places in your yard where puddles can develop.

Keep gutters cleaned out so water does not build up inside. Make sure all drains are properly cleaned without leaves blocking them. And change water in bird baths and planters at least once a week.

• The ODNR Scenic Rivers Program is seeking volunteers to conduct water quality monitoring on the Sandusky and Maumee rivers.

Local community residents interested in helping with stream quality monitoring are invited to attend workshops and be trained to seine (net) and identify the aquatic macro-vertebrates that live in the rivers. The type, number, and diversity of these organisms are indicators of water quality.

The ODNR will hold a workshop on the Sandusky River on July 19 at the St. John’s Scenic River Area at the intersection of County Road 6 and Township Road 131 from 10 a.m. to noon. On the Maumee River a workshop will be held on July 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Independence Dam.

• It’s good news. The ODNR and Ohio Department of Agriculture announced recently that testing of Ohio’s deer herd found no evidence of chronic wasting disease, a degenerative brain disease that effects deer, elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer.

Officials collected tissue samples from 753 deer killed on Ohio’s roads and an additional 88 hunter harvested adults Nothing was found in any sample.

Dick Martin is a retired Shelby biology teacher and author who has written an outdoor column for more than 20 years. He can be reached at richmart@neo.rr.com.